Please show your support for safe weed control on December 16

Editor’s note: This morning I received the following information below from a group that has been working on weed control issues for Auckland. Under the new Auckland “super city”, roadside weed control is the responsibility of Auckland Transport a “Council-Controlled Organisation”. While there is a history of non-toxic roadside weed control in many parts of Auckland, such as steam or y coconut fatty acid-based herbicides, Auckland Transport (AT) has been spraying glyphosate in many areas. Studies indicate that glyphosate is carcinogenic. Exposure to glyphosate can also cause severe short term symptoms in a significant proportion of the population.

I am presenting in the open session and first up on the agenda. I had hoped they would be decent enough to attach the report to the agenda as I requested. It’s not there, so presume it only went to the Board members. (I will get the HRIA and our written response up on our website on Tuesday morning – so please log in and check it out). www.weedmanagementadvisory.wordpress.com

I would be really grateful for any support and attendance at the presentation. This is really our last ditch attempt to get AT to recognise the impact on people and the environment of the toxic chemicals they spray, and for them to move in a timely fashion to implement Council’s Weed Management Policy and expand non-chemical vegetation control across the region. It’s a hard slog, like trying to shift an unresponsive elephant!

In the meantime – please pass this message on to everyone you know who cares. This is about all of us and everything we have worked hard for over the last twenty years to make our city safe – particularly for our children and grandchildren. We are disturbed that Auckland Transport is deliberately ignoring the history of non-chemical choice in this city and negating the decades of democratic decision making that went into it. They do not have the right. We should not allow this to happen. If you cannot come, letters of support and endorsement of the HRIA to both Auckland Transport and Mayor Len Brown really welcome.